The present invention relates to an improved control method, apparatus and computer program suitable for controlling mixing systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,778 discloses a technique for setting parameters for an electronic musical instrument, in accordance with which any change in parameters set by a human player is inhibited in a freeze setting mode. Generally, in mixing systems, parameter values in mixing algorithms are determined in accordance with ON/OFF states and other operating states of various buttons, faders and other operators. In recent years, of the mixing systems, particularly those intended for commercial use, there have been known ones which are constructed to store parameter values in memory so as to reproduce the thus-stored values (setting data) on an operation panel through one-touch operation (e.g., with a single keystroke). For example, as optimal setting data are set for each scene on a stage during rehearsal of a concert, the setting data are stored in a scene memory for each of the scenes. Then, during an actual performance, the setting data corresponding to a particular scene are reproduced through one-touch operation each time a changeover to that particular scene should take place; such scene reproducing operation is called “scene recall”.
Because the mixing systems include some operators for which operated amounts etc. should be newly set in accordance with a situation on a particular occasion, some of the parameters are often excluded from an object of the scene recall. In this connection, “DM 2000 Instruction Manual”, published by Yamaha Corporation, February, 2002, discloses in pages 157–163 a mixing system having a function of excluding or excepting some parameters from an object of scene recall (so-called “recall safe function”). Specifically, in the disclosed mixing system, each designated function belonging to a designated channel is excluded or excepted from the object of the scene recall.
However, the channel or parameter to be excluded from the object of the scene recall often differs among various scenes. Therefore, according to the technique disclosed in the above-identified document “DM 2000 Instruction Manual”, there would arise a need for a human operator of the mixing system to newly set the recall safe function each time scene recall operation is performed during an actual performance, which would undesirably complicate the necessary operation.
Further, many of the mixing systems known today include display elements, provided near faders for adjusting tone volume etc., for displaying respective channel names etc. each composed of a few characters. The channel names to be displayed on the display elements can be set freely by a human operator via a keyboard or otherwise. Such a technique is disclosed in the above-identified document, e.g. pages 35–47. Also, in the mixing systems known today, each of a plurality of input/output ports for communicating signals from/to external devices can be allocated to a desired input or output channel; such a technique too is disclosed in the above-identified document, e.g. pages 61–67.
However, the disclosed technique presents the problem that, even where any given one of the input/output channels has been assigned a particular channel name, the assigned channel name would become insubstantial or useless if the input/output port allocated to the given input/output channel is changed. As one possible measure for addressing such a problem, different port names may be assigned to the individual input/output ports so that the port names are displayed on the display elements near the faders. But, depending on the form of use of the mixing system, there would sometimes co-exist channels for which the channel names should be displayed and channels for which the port names should be displayed.